Ex-lawmaker advises youths, women on agric

A FORMER member of Delta State House of Assembly, Paul Ukpe, has urged women and youths in the state to embrace agriculture, especially the cultivation of tomatoes as a means of livelihood.

Ukpe, who is also a tomato farmer in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Asaba that the soil in the state “is suitable for it and farming is a very lucrative business.’’

He urged the people to take advantage of the suitability of the soil to grow the crop and make money instead of looking for unavailable white-collar jobs.

According to Ukpe, 90 per cent of the tomatoes consumed in the country were produced in the northern part of the country.

The former lawmaker, however, said that a greater percentage of the product was consumed in the southern part, an indication that there was enough market for tomatoes in the south.

“I see no reason why the crop would not do better in the southern part of the country where we have an abundance of water.”